BritTim

There is no way to get an METV from immigration inside Thailand, or from an embassy/consulate outside your home country. One of the big changes made when double/triple entry tourist visas were replaced by the multiple entry tourist visa is that they could now only be applied for in home country. Dependant on your situation, it can be possible to switch within Thailand from a tourist entry (using visa or visa exempt) to a Non Immigrant visa/entry, thus allowing long term stay in Thailand. This is easiest if aged over 50.

History is no guarantee of future behaviour. However, if you have an actual visa, I can recall no cases of denied entry if clearing immigration at CNX. Avoid trying to enter visa exempt if you possibly can. I think all international airports, except U-Tapao, have been known to deny entry to those trying to enter visa exempt (though Chiang Mai does it much less often).

There are two considerations that will dictate his actions if he is to avoid trouble: He is only allowed to enter Thailand twice by land without a visa in a calendar year. This is a long standing restriction that has nothing to do with Covid times. There are no such restrictions (for normal tourists) when entering by air. At the current time, entering Thailand requires a Thailand Pass. There is a good chance this will be eliminated in the next few months. Further, many land borders are not yet open, and some border crossings that are open have their own requirements set by the country on the other side of the border. Although frustrating for those who like to plan everything carefully well in advance, the simple truth is that this is not possible right now. I suggest you make tentative plans based on the assumption that the temporary restrictions around Covid will be removed by the time of the visit, but appreciate that these plans might need to be changed at short notice. You could book flights from the UK to Thailand well in advance if you can get especially attractive fare offers, but should probably defer hotel bookings and travel within the region until much closer to the time.

I have seen announcements from some of the previous visa run companies in Phuket that they intend restarting their service in the fairly near future. As far as I know, none have yet done so. There is not much risk in doing a border bounce by yourself for a visa exempt entry, as long as you have not already used your permitted two by land in a calendar year, and have the requisite cash in case (not unlikely) they ask to see it. EDIT: Note, of course, that you will need a Thailand Pass and also must ensure you satisfy the Covid requirements for entering Malaysia.

That usually is not accepted by airlines (and sometimes not by embassies/consulates that want onward flight bookings). Often, even a pre-booked bus ticket from Hat Yai to Penang is unacceptable. With the airlines, hope for a good airline supervisor. At worst, assuming they like the look of you, you will just be asked to sign an indemnity form.

There are many different words/phrases that can be used when taking leave of someone. The most appropriate depends on the situation. Sawatdee khrap is the most common in a formal/business setting.

Unfortunately not. You need to be officially married in order to get an extension to visit your Thai spouse. Note that, if you want to wait until January to have a big wedding with family and friends, this does not mean you cannot register yourself as married at the amphoe earlier. It is, in fact, the norm and not the exception in Thailand to treat the big "temple" wedding and celebration as something quite distinct from official marriage registration. It is not unusual for Thai couples to only have the wedding celebration without formally registering their marriage, but as a foreigner you do not want to do that.

As @ubonjoe indicated, you will need to get the 30-day extension before applying for the Non O visa. Given that this will be needed anyway, you might want to wait until a couple of days after April 18 to apply for the extension and then visa. Monday will likely be a madhouse.

I believe I am still correct in saying that the only land border with Laos that is open is the Friendship Bridge between Vientiane and Nong Khai. At least as of a few days ago, none of the other border crossings with Laos were open.

It depends on the airline. The problem is that the 30-day extension, while pretty much invariably granted, is theoretically up to the discretion of the official. Because of this, the IATA guidelines, followed by most airlines, suggest that the onward ticket must be within 30 days. An intelligent airline supervisor will usually override this, but you must be prepared for a strict interpretation of the rules, just in case.

Thailand does not really recognise refugee status. In the special case of people escaping neighbouring countries in exceptional circumstances, they are allowed to temporarily stay, but only under strict conditions. People trying to come to Thailand to claim refugee status on arrival will be out of luck. Ukrainian citizens already in Thailand legally can, at the current time, get temporary short term extensions of their permission to stay, but this will not come with permission to work or receive any benefits.

Bringing forward your marriage would give you one easy 60-day extension, and mean that you have around 120 days (30+30+60) before needing a border bounce or Non Immigrant visa. You should also (by August) be able to do a border bounce for a fresh visa exempt entry (and a further resulting 120 days). The timing will then be wrong for a third visa exempt entry by land in a calendar year. If you are able to get a Covid extension in May, however, then you would not need another border bounce until the new year, and you would have good easy options for some more months. There would also be the option of Non O visas from nearby embassies. If you do not marry early, the Non Ed visa and extensions is probably going to be your safe option, but could involve some aggravations.

Since you are married to a Thai, you have an additional (one time) pretty much guaranteed extension. You can apply for a 60-day extension to visit your wife. Mainly, you just need your wife to be with you when you apply. The Non O visa from immigration is definitely possible in principle, but there are quite a lot of requirements that need to be satisfied (and these can vary between immigration offices).

Perhaps you can carefully check your passport to verify your current immigration status. If your current permission to stay (from your entry stamp) is really until 2023-01-20 then it is premature to be looking at further extensions. If you have a Non O-A visa (expiring 2023-01-20) but were erroneously only given 90 days when entering Thailand, then you need to get your entry stamp corrected. What I suspect is that you have a multiple entry Non O visa, not a Non O-A visa. In that case, although the visa expiry date is 2023-01-20, you were correctly only given 90 days on entry. Unless you have a close Thai family member, there is no appropriate short term extension available. You may be eligible for a one-year extension if you can meet the requirements. Otherwise, if you only need a few more days, you could apply for an extension without meeting the necessary requirements, and (after being denied the extension) will be ordered out of the country within seven days.

That is the correct way to handle it (when allowed to buy yourself in at all). It protects both you and the helpful official. Believe it or not, it breaks no law to pay an agent to assist you in overcoming immigration issues. Further, assuming the agent gives a gift to a close relative of the official (rather than paying the official directly) again no laws are broken when, coincidentally, the official decides to exercise their discretion in allowing you to enter. Had you made a voluntary gift to the official yourself directly, it would have placed both you and the official in legal jeopardy.

Immigration will be closed from tomorrow, reopening Monday April 18. (when they will probably be insanely busy).

20,000 baht or (at current exchange rates) about US$600 or equivalents in any major currency.

Whether the rules are logical, I will not comment on. It has long been true that those who enter with a single entry tourist visa, multiple entry tourist visa or visa exempt are eligible the 30-day extension, and also conversion to Non Immigrant visa/entry. From the beginning, the Special Tourist Visa clearly did not allow any normal extensions or the conversion visas. You were entitled only to the two 90-day extensions of the original 90-day permission to stay received on entry with the Special Tourist Visa. [The Covid extension, medical extension and extension for involvement in court case are not normal extensions, and are available regardless of your previous immigration status.] There was no change. It was just that many agents had assumed conversion visas would be possible without reading the rules. They only became aware of the limitation when eventually trying to help their customers.

As noted above, there is no 90-day extension of a tourist (including visa exempt) entry with the special exceptions of medical extensions or extensions due to involvement in a court case. Under certain circumstances, apart from the regular 30-day extension and possible 60-day Covid extension, you may be able to apply for a "conversion" Non Immigrant visa at Immigration. This is not an extension, but results in you having a fresh 90-day permission to stay.

The Special Tourist Visa is not eligible for regular extensions, or for conversion to Non Immigrant visas. The Covid extension, being special, was allowed, but it did not alter your special tourist entry status. Someone who entered with a regular tourist visa (or entered visa exempt) is eligible to apply for a Non Immigrant visa at Immigration, including for retirement. The 60-day extension to visit Thai family is only allowed once per entry into Thailand.

You do not apply for a visa using the Thailand Pass system. Depending on your nationality, you either go through the e-visa system or apply at the appropriate embassy/consulate. Thailand Pass is separate. It is a current requirement, allegedly designed to protect Thailand from imported Covid-19 cases, that you need before you are allowed to board the aircraft to come to Thailand.

I have had long discussions before on this forum about the difference between denied entry (inadmissible passengers: INADs) and deportation. Suffice to say that, if you are denied entry, the airline that transported you to Thailand is responsible for transporting you back to your embarkation airport (if possible) and otherwise usually to your home country. This is always true even when the airline is completely blameless, and irrespective of whether they are paid (though airlines usually find a way to get payment from you). Once immigration denies you entry, deportation rules do not apply. You are only deported if you successfully pass immigration and are subsequently ordered out of the country.

The airline has the right to try (and they usually succeed). However, they are obliged to transport you out of Thailand if you are denied entry whether you pay or not. Additionally, under some circumstances, the airline can be fined for negligence in failing to check you met conditions for entry. Unless you have signed an actual indemnity form (which I have occasionally) the airline will usually have a tough time trying to recover the costs of the fines.

If you mean they required a return ticket when entering Vietnam visa exempt, that is correct, and a strictly enforced requirement. Did you mean that you had a problem entering Thailand visa exempt from Vietnam? Especially if entering in Bangkok, that was not unusual at that time. Officials were being tough on many people entering visa exempt through the Bangkok airports at that time.

Well, this is odd. I have always thought a Non Immigrant visa could only be single entry or multiple entry. (Penang, I know, did do double entry tourist visas at that time.) If the visa was stamped "used" at the border at Poi Pet, the most likely reason would be that it had expired. What was the validity period on a double entry Non Immigrant visa from Penang at that time? If it was only 90 days, that could explain why the official stamped it "used". Depending on your nationality, I am still surprised that in 2004 you were not allowed a visa exempt entry (assuming your nationality allows them).